


Let us try

by LeMera (Agha)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Friends to Lovers, Fuckbuddies, Infidelity, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-10 19:38:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7003642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agha/pseuds/LeMera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has to admit, it all started when he walked into Rhodey's room unannounced and caught him while another guy had his hands shoved down his shorts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony has to admit, it all started when he walked into Rhodey's room unannounced and caught him while another guy had his hands shoved down his shorts. Hand-job-guy, someone Tony recognized but could not name for all his genius, froze in the action of giving what was probably a pretty good hand job, if Rhodey's blown pupils and blissed-out expression was anything to go by.

"Oh," Tony said weakly, and turned around and left. It was his own fault really. He should've knocked, but he'd never knocked before, and he knew that Rhodey wasn't currently seeing anyone, so he hadn't thought it was necessary. But apparently Rhodey was seeing someone. A male someone. Which meant that Rhodey was apparently into guys. Which.... huh.

Rhodey had never said he in was into guys. Although, to be fair, he'd never said he was into girls either. It made Tony pause and think. Rhodey was his best friend. One of his only friends. Tony loved him as a brother. And sure, he could appreciate the way his abs glistened after a work-out in the gym, and sometimes he liked to cuddle up next to him and feel his lingering touches, and it's not as if he's never thought about... Well. Let's just say, Rhodey's a gorgeous man and Tony would like to challenge anyone who didn't look at him and think about what it would feel like to feel his naked body against theirs. And, now, apparently, Rhodey was into that with guys.

There was a frat party at one of the greek houses, which was why he'd been going to Rhodey in the first place. But since he was preoccupied with hand-job-guy, Tony went on his own. There, he met Jessica. They'd hooked up a few times, no string attached, and she was by far the best at giving head of any girl he'd ever been with. He tapped her shoulder to get her attention, and she immediately gave him a sly grin. He gestured for her to follow him to one of the frat boys' empty room, and asked her very seriously: "How do you give a good blow job?"

She burst into laughter, but when she saw that he wasn't smiling she stopped. She frowned, obviously confused. "What?"

"You're the best at giving blow jobs," he explained patiently. "Like, seriously, amazing." She seemed flattered by that, and nodded for him to continue. "And I'd just like to get some pointers on how to do it properly."

"Why?" she wanted to know, but she didn't sound too offended. Actually, she sounded a bit excited.

_Why indeed._

"There's this guy I want to impress, but I've never done it before, so..." Tony didn't know why this mattered so much to him, why he wanted to do this so bad, but he didn't stop and consider.

"You want me to teach you." She grinned. "Fine, but I deserve the best damn eating out you've ever given afterwards."

He winked. "Don't I always provide that?"

And that's how he ended up with a banana shoved down his throat, Jessica once against telling him to _just_ _relax your fucking throat and use your tongue it's not that hard_ when the frat boy whose room they'd occupied walked in. He stopped just inside the threshold, his gaze going from Jessica sitting on the bed, and Tony standing with his neck in a weird angle as he tried to get the banana down further, and turned around and left. "Not drunk enough for this," he muttered and closed the door behind him.

Jessica burst out laughing again. Tony left shortly after, but not before going down on Jessica like promised. He was a man of his word after all. She'd offered to recuperate, and it had been so tempting, knowing what she could do with her tongue, but he ultimately declined. He wanted to get back as soon as possible.

When he went back to Rhodey's room he didn't barge in again, but knocked, like a proper friend. Rhodey immediately opened the door, looking flustered, and Tony wondered with a pang of jealousy if hand-job-guy was still in there. But Rhodey took a step back, an obvious invitation, so Tony took it that he was alone.

"Tony," Rhodey started the moment he was inside. "About what you saw..."

"Are you two dating?" Tony interrupted. Because if they were, his entire plan would fall apart. Rhodey was stupidly noble and probably wouldn't cheat.

Rhodey gnawed at his lower lip. "No."

Ton'y shoulder slumped in relief. "But you're into guys?"

Rhodey nodded slowly, avoiding his eyes.

Tony wanted to say _Can I give you a blow job_. At least, that was what he had planned to say on the way over. He'd imagined Rhodey would be surprised, but ultimately he'd say yes. And then Tony would put all of Jessica's tips to use, and he'd make Rhodey come so hard he'd see stars and forget all about that stupid hand-job-guy. Seriously, how dared that guy put his hands on Rhodey before Tony did? Make him feel pleasure in ways Tony hadn't? But when Tony opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out.

Rhodey seemed to take that as a sign of something, because he went on, "I know I should've told you, but some guys get uncomfortable about it," and damn it, now Rhodey thought he was homophobic, he needed to say it _now_ , "and I didn't ever want you to think..."

Whatever it was he didn't want Tony think, he'd never know, because he sank to his knees in front of Rhodey, which effectively shut him up. He'd apparently lost his words, but he could still show what he wanted with his actions. Tony reached for his zipper, but stopped halfway, remembering Jessica's advise, and leaned closer so he could open it with his teeth.

"Tony?" Rhodey questioned, obviously shocked. He didn't move, from shock or lust Tony didn't know.

Tony got his fly open after a short struggle, but the button was still closed. He hadn't considered that. Damn. He was forced to use his hands after all, and popped the button open, pushing Rhodey's pants down and leaning in to nuzzle the front of his boxers.

That snapped Rhodey into action, and he took a step back before Tony could get his mouth on him. "What's going on?" he exclaimed.

"Want you," Tony breathed. And he did. So, so bad. He wanted to feel Rhodey against him, wanted to make him feel good. Much better than hand-job-guy did. Hence, not giving a hand job, but a blow job.

Rhodey's hands began to shake, and Tony was for a second worried he'd get punched in the face. Quite frankly, he wouldn't blame Rhodey if he did. Tony loved hot girls, but if a girl suddenly opened his pants and dropped to her knees without warning... Well, he wouldn't punch her, and probably wouldn't say no, but it wouldn't be ideal either. He'd always been a big fan of consent after all.

Damn, this was dumb. He should've just said something first, but it'd never occurred to him that Rhodey might not want this. Damn, damn, damn.

"Do you?" Rhodey said, his voice suddenly soft as a feather. He lifted one of his hands, but instead of punching or shoving Tony away, he caressed his cheek carefully. "Do you want me?"

Tony nodded eagerly. Then, hesitantly, asked, "Do you want me?"

Rhodey grinned, and sank down on his knees in front of Tony. "Of course I do." Then he grabbed Tony by the face and kissed him. Which, okay, completely to what Tony thought he'd be doing with his mouth tonight. But he could work with this. He was a good kisser. He'd been told so repeatedly.

He grabbed Rhodey's shoulders and pulled hims closer, pressing his tongue against his lips to get him to open his mouth. The kiss quickly turned filthy once he opened, and Tony did his best to get Rhodey breathless as he ran his hands down his chest, to the bottom of his T-shirt. He pushed his hands up, touching warm skin, and Rhodey shuddered underneath his hands.

They broke apart, panting. Rhodey ran his fingers through Tony's hair, smiling with his swollen lips, and Tony couldn't help but lean in and kiss him one more time. "You could've just said that you wanted this," Rhodey panted. "You didn't have to do that whole show."

"First of all, I always have to make a show," Tony said indignantly, and Rhodey laughed. "Second, I was showing you what I wanted. I want to suck you." He slid his hand down the front of Rhodey's still open pants. He'd gone hard from the kisses alone, and Tony couldn't help but feel smug about that. "Right now."

Rhodey's pupils went wide as Tony stroked him over his boxers, and Tony couldn't help but flash back to when the caught him with hand-job-guy. Which wasn't any good. He was supposed to be better than hand-job-guy.

"Let me?" Tony kissed him again, trying not to wonder if hand-job-guy had done the same not long ago.

Rhodey nodded quickly, and shuffled back up on his feet. He reached his hand out to pull Tony up too, and pulled him towards the bed. Tony grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, and then took off his own while he was at it. He looked over Rhodey's chest hungrily, those sweaty abs that, yes, he could admit, had been part of a lot of his fantasies. He pulled Rhodey close, kissing over his shoulders, down his chest. Rhodey moaned, his fingers tangling in his hair, and Tony found he rather liked the feeling of that.

He pushed Rhodey on the bed, and once again fell to his knees in front of him. This time Rhodey didn't stop him when he pulled down his jeans. Tony wanted to rip his boxers open too and just devour him, but Jessica had taught him the importance of build-up.

He nuzzled Rhodey's cock through the boxers, eliciting a loud moan from Rhodey. He grinned, and licked over the fabric.

"Jesus," Rhodey exclaimed, which only encouraged Tony. He licked over and over, until the fabric was damp and he could taste precome. He nuzzled lower, until he reached Rhodey's balls, and he sucked one of them into his mouth as best as he could through the fabric. Rhodey's fingers tangled in his hair once more and he tugged at it desperately. "Tony, please," Rhodey panted. Tony felt his cock harden, whether it was the hair-pulling or the sound of his name being said with such want from Rhodey, he didn't know or care.

He finally pulled down Rhodey's boxers, and his cock sprang free. Precome had gathered at the tip, and Tony promptly licked it off. Jessica had told him not to make a face at the taste, apparently that was a mood killer for some guys, but he couldn't help himself. It tasted really weird.

"Hey," Rhodey said softly, his grip on Tony's hair loosening. Obviously, he'd seen Tony's unsatisfied face. "We don't have to do this right now if you don't want."

"I want," Tony said desperately, and grabbed Rhodey's thighs. "I just..."

"Haven't done this before?" he suggested. He sounded so kind and understanding, but Tony didn't want that. He wanted Rhodey to think he was good. That he knew what he was doing. Much better than hand-job-guy.

"I've done this plenty of times," he lied easily. "Just not without condom."

If possible, Rhodey's face softened even more at that. "But you trust me enough not to use one?" he said teasingly.

Tony blinked a few times. He hadn't really thought about that. "You're clean, right?"

Rhodey snorted. "Yes, I'm clean Tony."

"So am I." He grabbed Rhodey's cock and stroked it carefully. Rhodey's hips stuttered off the bed. "Everything okay then? Can I get back to the task at hand?" He twisted his hand at the last word, and Rhodey cursed.

"Fuck, yeah."

Tony smiled, and leaned forward to lick a long line from the base of his cock to the tip. He lapped at the head a few times, while he kept jacking him off at the base. Rhodey's grip in his hair tightened again, and Tony took it as encouraged to suck in the tip of his cock. Rhodey was wider than the banana had been, so he struggled a bit in getting down to the bottom. No problem, though. He could work up to that, as long as he made sure it was good while doing it.

He hollowed his cheeks and hummed, and Rhodey moaned above him, his thigh muscles tightening. Every time he pulled back to get some air, he sucked as hard as he could, and Rhodey let out a long string of curses. The more he managed to swallow down, the less he had to do with his hands, so he allowed his fingers to dip lower. He touched Rhodey's balls, which Rhodey seemed to like, if his reciting of Bible verses was anything to go by. He pulled of his cock with a pop, and nosed down to his balls, and took one between his lips.

"Tony, I can't," Rhodey moaned, and his balls tightened. "I'm so close." When Tony peered up he saw that Rhodey had thrown his head back, his eyes tightly shut.

Tony smirked, and decided that this time he was going to do it. He took a deep breath, and wrapped his mouth around Rhodey's cock again. This time he pressed and pressed until he felt his cock hit the back of his throat, and then he pressed even more. Saliva was running down his chin and he felt as if he was going to choke, but he ignored it. Instead, he deliberately swallowed around Rhodey's length, and Rhodey came with a shouted "FUCK!"

Come flooded his mouth and he did his best to swallow, but he was already choking and he had to pull off in order to get in some air. He coughed onto the ground, some cum trickling down his chin. He wiped it off with his hand, and looked up at Rhodey. Rhodey had opened his eyes, but they were hazy, his face caught in the bliss of the orgasm. Their eyes met, and Tony deliberately licked the cum off his own hand.

Rhodey fell back on the bed, panting hard. "Jesus."

Tony couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Nah, just Tony."

Rhodey kicked him in the shoulder playfully. "Come up here." He gestured for the space next to him, and Tony crawled up on the soft bed. Rhodey rolled to his side so they could lay face to face. He ran his hand over Tony's swollen lips. Tony could only imagine what he must look like right now. His lips swollen, his hair a mess, and he probably still had some cum on his face.

"Let me," Rhodey mumbled, and reached for Tony's fly.

Tony hadn't realized how desperate he was for release until Rhodey's fingers wrapped around his cock. It didn't take long for him to spill over the sheets between them, which would usually feel pretty embarrassing, but at the moment he didn't care. Because Rhodey looked so damn pleased, so damn blissful, and Tony had done that to him. He'd made him feel that good.

He'd planned to leave right after. He'd done what he'd set out to do, and it was a one time thing, so he might as well go. But he was tired, it was late, and he felt completely spent after what they'd just done. Rhodey pulled him close, helped him get out of his pants, and then wrapped them both in his blanket. Before Tony knew it, the sunlight was filtering in and it was morning.

Rhodey sat up on the bed, the blanket pooling around his crotch. Tony knew he was naked, and he was tempted to pull the blanket away and just suck him down like he'd done last night. Rhodey's face stopped him though. His eyes were searching, uncertain.

"This is going to change everything, isn't it?" he said hesitantly.

Tony pushed himself up on his elbows. He hadn't even stopped to consider that. What if their friendship was ruined? Just because he wanted to one-up hand-job-guy. "It doesn't have to," he said, and he pretended not to notice the pleading tone in his own voice. "You're my best friend."

Rhodey smiled and put a hand on Tony's thigh. "And you're mine."

"So nothing has to change."

Rhodey hesitated again, scooting closer. "But you said you wanted me."

"I do," Tony said quickly. Maybe too quickly.

"So you want to do this, then?"

Tony frowned and pushed up on his elbows. "Do what?"

"This." Rhodey gestured between them. "Do you really want to start something between us? Risk our friendship for _more_."

Tony was still confused. Was Rhodey asking... Was he asking if he was willing to risk their friendship for sex? Which, to be honest, Tony wasn't. Last night had been great. Better than great. But he'd go celibate for years if it meant he got to keep Rhodey. He opened his mouth to say that, but couldn't bring himself to. Because last night  _had_ been great, and he didn't want it to be a one time thing. Not anymore. Not when he knew how it could feel, not only getting off with Rhodey, but seeing how happy he was afterwards. "I'm willing to risk it if you are," he settled on in the end.

 

Rhodey smiled, his shoulders slumping as if relieved, and leaned forward to kiss him. It was close mouthed, probably because of the morning breath, but Tony accepted it hungrily anyway. "Okay, fine, let's do this." He ran his hand through Tony's hair, and Tony basically purred at the feeling. "You and me Tony."

Tony nodded. "You and me. Always."

After a while of cuddling together in silence, Tony had to ask. "Bible verses, really?"

Rhodey threw a pillow at his face and laughed, and Tony hadn't felt so high in his entire life.

-

Things, as Tony had said, didn't change much after that. They were still friends. They studied together in the library, ate lunch together whenever their schedule permitted, and met up after school to hang out a few times a week. Only, now Rhodey would give him bright smiles as they studied, distracting him from his books, and play footsie under the table while they ate lunch, and put his hand on Tony's thigh whenever they sat next to each other. And 'hanging out' became more 'getting off'.

  
After that first night, Tony found that Rhodey was, in fact, also very good at giving head. Amazingly good. Almost at Jessica's level (no one could truly be as good as Jessica, Tony had accepted that by now). He made Tony's head swim and turned his legs into jelly. He felt kind of bad afterwards though, because he was unable to recuperate in any other way than a lazy hand job, his body too weak after the orgasm Rhodey's tongue had wrung out of him. Rhodey didn't mind much though.

Thing was, Tony hadn't expected it all to be so _nice_. There was no awkward morning afters, no forced pick-up lines, no hurry, and so much kissing. Tony didn't have to go to greek frat houses anymore to hopefully find a girl willing to fuck him for the night without expecting anything in the morning. If he ever felt horny, he could just go to Rhodey's room. Or pull Rhodey into the bathroom. Or between some bookshelves.

That last one had taken some convincing on his part. Rhodey wasn't eager to be caught, but for Tony it made it a bit more exciting. He almost wanted to get caught. Wanted people to see that how he made Rhodey fall apart with his mouth. Especially that stupid hand-job-guy. And he was getting pretty good at taking Rhodey's entire cock in fast, and swallowing as he came down his throat.

They never moved past hand jobs, blow jobs and the occasional frottage though. Tony couldn't exactly say why. He was a bit scared, to be honest. He might've convinced Rhodey that he'd sucked a lot of cock (TOTAL lie), but he'd surely see how inexperienced he was if they did anything else. He briefly considered asking Jessica about it, but then remembered that she didn't take it up the ass. It was one of her hard rules when it came to hook ups.

One night, they didn't even do those simple things. He was in Rhodey's room again, making out lazily on his bed. Tony had tried to make it filthier and faster, but Rhodey kept his slow pace. Rhodey was, apparently, really into kissing. He could sometimes kiss for hours just for the pleasure of it, without building up to anything. He ran his hand over Tony's chest, tracing his body with soft touches that made Tony crazy with want. Tony returned the favor, stroking his chest. He flicked his finger over Rhodey's nipple, which usually got him to gasp, but this time he didn't respond. Tony got frustrated, and reached for his cock instead, trying to speed things up. Rhodey grabbed his hand, and pulled back with a small smile.

"Not now." He leaned in to kiss him again, but Tony turned away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rhodey said, and he sounded sincere. Tony allowed himself to get kissed again, and Rhodey's hand finally made it down to Tony's cock. He kept kissing him as he jerked Tony off, slow and steady and craze-inducing.

It felt surprisingly nice to kiss and be touched at the same time in such a tender way. Despite the carefulness of what was happening, Tony lost his breath. The orgasm built up below his belly bottom like it never had before, and he was practically floating in pleasure when it finally crashed over him. Rhodey kissed him through, swallowing his every moan until he was wrung out and exhausted.

He took a few moments to catch his breath, and then reached for Rhodey. But Rhodey stopped him again.

"I don't really feel for it tonight," he said softly. "Just one of those days, you know?"

 _No_ , Tony didn't know. He didn't understand why Rhodey would turn down getting off. Who even does that? But he nodded anyway, because he didn't want to seem desperate.

As Rhodey drifted to sleep, Tony couldn't help but fret. Was Rhodey getting tired of him already? Maybe he wasn't interested in just hand jobs and blow jobs anymore. Maybe he wanted more. Maybe he wanted someone else. Maybe he'd grown tired of Tony and their little arrangement.


	2. Middle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh.... Sorry about this. Heed the tags.

The day after, Tony decided to play good friend, and brought Rhodey coffee and waited outside his lecture hall. When the students trickled out, Tony immediately caught Rhodey walking close to some guy. They stopped just outside the doors, talking excitedly with each other, and Tony recognized him. It was hand-job-guy.

His blood ran cold, and he ducked behind some girls. He peered at them over the girls' shoulders. They were standing really close, and Rhodey's smile was relaxed and happy. Tony had never stopped to consider that maybe they were still exchanging hand jobs. But Rhodey wouldn't. Would he?

Then again, they'd never said that this friends-with-benefits-or-whatever-it-was thing was exclusive. They weren't boyfriends. So why wouldn't Rhodey be with someone else? Maybe that was why he hadn't wanted to get off the night before; because hand-job-guy had already wrung him dry.

That shouldn't be able to happen though. Tony was supposed to be better than hand-job-guy. He was supposed to have sucked Rhodey's memory of hand-job-guy out of his cock. But maybe hand-job-guy had evolved. Maybe he was blow-job-guy now, and he was better than Tony. Maybe he'd gone to get advice from Jessica too.

While Tony panicked, Rhodey and hand-job-guy turned left and walked out of the building. Tony did his best to follow them without being caught. They walked to the campus gym, and Tony snuck in behind them. He walked into the changing room, and immediately felt like a fool. A bunch of half-naked guys surrounded him, either on their way in or out of a work-out, while he was fully dressed and in no way interested on working on his muscles.

Maybe that was what Rhodey saw in hand-job-guy. Tony wasn't insecure, he knew people found him hot, but maybe Rhodey wanted someone with a harder abdomen. Someone with bigger arms and stronger thighs.

Tony turned around and left. He went to Rhodey's room, and paced back and forth until he got dizzy . It wasn't a big room after all. Then he sat down on the bed until he turned stir crazy, and had to pace some more.

He didn't know how long he waited, but he'd worked up a good sweat by the time Rhodey was back. His skin was still damp from the shower, and he quirked his eyebrows in surprise when he saw Tony.

Tony wasted no time to grab him and push him against the door and kiss the living hell out of him. Rhodey immediately wrapped his arms around Tony and kissed him back enthusiastically. Tony grabbed the front of his slacks and felt Rhodey's cock stirring. Good. That meant he hadn't gotten off with hand-job-guy in the shower at least. Rhodey's refractory period was short, but not _that_ short.

"Tony," Rhodey panted in his ear. Tony shoved his hand down his boxers and grabbed his cock roughly. Rhodey pushed his hips into it, but at the same time he said, "Slow down."

Tony didn't want to slow down, but still did so reluctantly. He pulled his hand up and took a step back, allowing Rhodey to catch his breath. Was this going to be like yesterday? Was he going to say he didn't feel like it anymore? That this was getting too boring?

"Tony, what's up?" Rhodey said, grabbing his shoulder to keep him from going too far. "Is something wrong?"

 _Don't you want me?_ he wanted to ask, but he didn't want to sound so pathetic. Instead, he just shook his head. "I just want you."

"Tony, we've talked about this, when you want something, say it. Don't just go down on your knees or shove your hand down my pants." He didn't sound upset. Actually, he sounded kind of fond. Which was why Tony got the courage to say what he said next.

"I want you to fuck me." Just saying it, thinking about it, got Tony's own cock to stir. He did actually want Rhodey to fuck him. Had wanted it for a while. Wanted to feel his friend inside of him. He'd held back, but now... Now, he saw no reason. If Rhodey was growing tired of him, he might as well get it at least once time. And maybe, just maybe, it might keep him interested in Tony long enough to forget all about hand-job-guy.

Rhodey blinked a few times, obviously confused about the intensity of Tony's statement. "Isn't that what we've been doing all along?"

"I mean, I want you to fuck me," he repeated, unsure how to make his intention clear. "I want you inside of me."

Rhodey went completely still. "Inside of you?" he repeated dumbly.

Tony was seriously starting to doubt this. What if Rhodey didn't want him? What if all this time of hj and bj had been because Rhodey was the one who didn't want to go further? Or maybe he didn't find Tony that attractive after all.

Rhodey pushed off the door and walked over to his bed, where he collapsed. "Have you ever...?"

Tony swallowed. This wasn't like the blow job thing. He didn't think he could fake this, no matter how many internet searched he'd done on 'anal sex'. "No," he confessed.

Rhodey nodded and reached out. "Come here."

Tony walked into his arms hesitantly. "If you don't want..." he trailed off, unsure.

"I want Tony." He pressed his face against Tony's stomach. "Fuck, I've been thinking about it almost every day since we got together. But you need to be sure. It's okay if you don't want. I'm fine with what we have."

Tony swallowed. Rhodey's reassurance that he was fine did make him feel a bit better, which made him want this even more. If there was ever anyone he would do this with, could trust this with, it was Rhodey. He cradled Rhodey's face in his hand, making him look up to meet his eyes. "I want you to fuck me," he said again.

This time, Rhodey's pupils dilated immediately. He grabbed the front of Tony's shirt and pulled him down for a heated kiss. Tony kissed him back enthusiastically, pushing him back so he could follow him down on the bed. For a while, they just kissed, but it was nothing like last night. Their kiss was deeper and filthier, with a clear goal in mind. Tony grinded his hips against Rhodey, their hard cocks sliding over each other through the layers of fabric, and Rhodey let out desperate moans.

"Wanted to feel you for so long," Rhodey whispered into his ear. "Wanted to fuck you like no one else."

Tony made a keening noise, nodding desperately. Rhodey shoved him a bit, getting him off and onto his back so Rhodey could straddle him. He dragged his shirt over his head, and leaned down to kiss down his chest. He sucked one of his nipples into his mouth, and Tony moaned and arched his back.

"Please, Rhodey." He knew he sounded desperate, but he didn't care. He wanted,  _needed_ , Rhodey inside of him.

"Yes, love, I promise," Rhodey whispered against his skin. He pulled his own shirt off, and got off Tony long enough for them both to worm out of their pants. He scrambled for his nightstand, and came back with a bottle of lube. Tony's cock twitched in excitement just by looking at it.

"Give it to me," he said breathlessly.

Rhodey nodded, and opened the cap, letting some lube drip onto his fingers. He moved his slick hands over Tony's thighs, down to his hole. "Are you sure?" he asked, hesitant. "You can still back out."

"Get inside of me, or I will  _kill_ you," Tony demanded harshly. Rhodey laugh, the hesitation leaving him.

"Relax," he said softly, kissing Tony on the lips. Tony kissed him back hungrily, until he felt his finger push inside of him. It was barely the tip, but his entire body froze. Rhodey kissed his cheek, his temple, his forehead, waiting patiently for Tony to relax. He took a few deep breaths, trying to force his body to cooperate, and at last managed to relax enough for Rhodey to push in a little bit more. Then he tensed right back up.

Rhodey didn't comment, but kept kissing every inch of his skin until he was ready. Tony breathed through the stretch. It didn't hurt, but it felt strange, having something going inside of him. He couldn't understand how some people did this all the time on the go.

Rhodey moved his lips down his stomach, and wrapped them around Tony's cock. The building pleasure took his mind off his stretched hole, and Rhodey managed to push in his entire finger. Tony breathed out harshly.

"Okay?" Rhodey said, pulling off his cock.

Tony nodded, unable to speak. It wasn't actually that bad, once it was in. Strange, but not bad. Rhodey went back to sucking his cock as he slowly worked in another finger, and it started to actually feel  _good_ after a while. Still strange, but more good-strange than bad-strange.

Rhodey pulled off him again, and when he met Tony's eyes he looked absolutely wrecked. He looked like he did after Tony had swallowed him down to the base and dragged a crushing orgasm out of him.

"You look amazing," Rhodey panted against his thigh. "So beautiful, with my fingers inside of you." Tony found that he blushed under the praise. "Fuck, I could come just by looking at my fingers inside of me."

The thought made Tony's head swim. "Do it," he said breathlessly. "Come just by looking at me."

Rhodey nodded desperately, leaning his forehead against his abdomen. He didn't move though. He kept pressing his fingers into Tony, changing the angle as he fucked into him, until he...

Oh

OH

 _That's_ what prostate stimulation felt like. The pleasure that hit him was unexpected and all consuming, and he arched off the bed, the orgasm overtaking him without warning. He came all over himself, moaning desperately.

Rhodey sat up on his knees, his fingers till inside of Tony, and grabbed his own cock. He jacked off quickly, desperately, moaning Tony's name, before he too came all over Tony's stomach.

He collapsed next to Tony, panting hard against his shoulder. He stared at Tony as if he was something incredible and precious, and Tony had to look away, unable to stand the intensity of the gaze.

Instead, he turned his attention to the cum that was currently covering him. "Yuck," he muttered, reached for the sheet to wipe it off.

"Leave it," Rhodey said, stopping him. Tony quirked a confused eyebrow at him, and Rhodey blushed furiously. "If you want, that is."

Tony smirked. "You like seeing me marked, don't you?"

Rhodey buried his head in the pillow, and Tony laughed.

"What can I say," Rhodey mumbled. "I like knowing that you're mine, and that I'm yours."

The statement warmed Tony. He wanted Rhodey to be his, and only his. "It's okay, I like knowing that too," Tony admitted, pulling Rhodey closer. It felt uncertain, admitting it. They hadn't made any grand statements before, but this felt like one. He hoped Rhodey understood what this meant for him. "But I want to be able to do the same." He nuzzled Rhodey's neck, and bit down at the juncture to his shoulder. Rhodey laughed, but didn't push him away, despite the fact that the hickey would be visible over most necklines.

When they fell asleep, the cum drying on Tony's stomach, he felt satisfied and strangely happy. Rhodey was his, and he was Rhodey's, and that was it.

-

Okay, maybe that wasn't completely it, because he still waited outside the lecture hall the next day waiting for Rhodey to come out. He didn't know what he expected. Maybe he wanted to see Rhodey completely ignoring hand-job-guy, or telling him that they were never going to be a thing, because he was with Tony now.

Instead, he saw pretty much the same thing as the day before. The two of them walked out together, talking happily. Only this time, it was worse. Because hand-job-guy caught sight of the hickey on Rhodey's neck, and he leaned in and pulled down the collar of Rhodey's shirt to get a better look. Anger bubbled inside of Tony. How dared he touch that. Tony had given that to Rhodey, and the fact that hand-job-guy was putting his filthy hand-job-hands over it felt like a punch in the gut. What made it worse was that he started laughing at the sight of it. He said something, and Rhodey started laughing too.

Were they making fun of him? Of his desperate attempt to keep Rhodey to himself?

Of course they were. Why wouldn't they? He and Rhodey made fun of Tony's hook-ups all the time. Laughed about that time a girl made him jump out of his window because her boyfriend came back, and the time that girl had him go down on her but then left without going down on him. And now, Tony was like one of those girls to Rhodey. A hook up to laugh about.

Tony turned around, and promptly left. But the moment he was no longer looking at the two of them together, he began doubting himself. Rhodey wouldn't do that. He wouldn't make fun of Tony. Because even if they weren't together for real, they were friends. They'd been friends for years. Sure, they fucked now, but that didn't make their friendship go away. Rhodey wouldn't do that to his friend, he was too good of a person.

The thought comforted him. They'd probably been laughing about something else. Maybe hand-job-guy was jealous, and tried to diffuse the situation with a joke.

Yeah, that was probably it. That's what Tony would do after all.

He texted Rhodey later, asking to meet up in the evening, but he got a negative response. Rhodey said he had some big assignment to hand in. Tony considered going to the library to join him, maybe give him a quick blow job to keep up morale, but he decided against it. Rhodey wasn't really into doing things in public, and if he was truly stressed about his assignment an attempt would just annoy him. Instead, he decided to go to Rhodey's room. He had his own schoolwork, but he could study there as much as in his own room. He could wait for Rhodey to finish up in the library, and once he was back, tired, he could give him a lazy goodnight hand job.

Or they could just sleep together. Without sex.

The thought gave him pause. His thoughts were starting to sound an awful lot like of someone in a relationship. Why would he sleep with Rhodey without anything sexual involved? Yeah, they'd slept in the same bed before without it becoming something, but that was before they started this _thing_ they've got going now.

He shook off the thought. Something to worry about for another day. He made it to Rhodey's room, and didn't bother with knocking. Which, really, he should've learnt by now. Not knocking was what got him into this whole thing in the first place.

But if he hadn't expected seeing hand-job-guy in Rhodey's room last time, it sure didn't compare to how little he was expecting it now. Yet there he was, sitting on Rhodey's bed, next to Rhodey. They had books laid out between them, but Tony didn't care. He immediately turned around and left, ignoring Rhodey calling his name.

How could he have been so stupid? Of course Rhodey wasn't going to just be satisfied with Tony. What did Tony have to offer, after all?

He really shouldn't be mad. What does he care if Rhodey looked for sex elsewhere sometimes? He just would've preferred it if Rhodey had said something, instead of lying about it. But he wasn't upset. No way. These things happened. They were both young and horny. Tony slept around all the time.

Or, well, he hadn't slept around much since he started sleeping with Rhodey. But that was just because going to Rhodey's room had been more convenient. That's all. He could totally go out and get laid right now. At this moment.

Yeah, that was what he was going to do. He was going to go to one of those frat houses, find a hot girl, and fuck her. He hadn't been inside of someone else in, what was it, over a month? Two months?

Wow, had he and Rhodey really been fucking for that long? It'd never occurred to him to ask Rhodey if he could fuck him. He wondered bitterly if Rhodey ever let hand-job-guy fuck him.

Tony missed feeling the heat of a sweet pussy around his cock. So that was what he was going to do.

He went to one of the greek houses, maybe the same as last time he couldn't remember, and of course Jessica was there. Tony strongly suspected the girl never studied, just partied all day and night. She was dancing with some guys, but he easily pushed them away, putting his hands on her hips.

"Wanna fuck?" he whispered into her ear.

"I'm not  _that_ easy Tony," she said, but she was smiling. "Whatever happened to the guy?"

"I impressed him thoroughly," Tony said. He moved his hands down her body, up her short skirt, and pressed his fingers against her panties. "Let me show my appreciation for your lesson."

She gave a short laugh, which quickly turned into a gasp when he pressed one finger against her clit through her panties. "I guess I really am that easy."

All the rooms in the house were busy, and Tony groaned.

"My roommate won't let us be at mine," she complained.

"Mine it is then."

He didn't live too far away, which was good. Gave him less time to think about this. Less time to convince himself that this was a truly terrible idea.

They didn't kiss. Tony didn't know why, but it didn't feel right.

She left as soon as they were done. Tony absently thought that he should feel happy. Satisfied. Instead, he felt dirty.

He rolled over, and forced his mind to quiet so he could go to sleep.

He was woken up by someone pounding on his door. He rolled out of bed, still heavy with sleep, and opened to a worried-looking Rhodey.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes ranking over Tony's body. Tony realized that he was still in the clothes from the night before, only now they were sleep and sex rumpled.

"Yeah, just fell asleep in my clothes." He let Rhodey in, turning his back to him.

"I called you," Rhodey said to his back. "You basically sprinted away from my room yesterday, I wanted to know why."

Tony shrugged, trying to look casual. "Didn't mean to interrupt."

Rhodey sat down on his bed, rubbing his face. "It was a heavy assignment," he said.

Tony snorted. "Sure it was."

Rhodey stlled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tony didn't want to meet his eyes, so he occupied himself with staring onto the floor instead. And right there, in the corner, were Jessica's panties. He'd completely forgotten about those, and apparently so had she. Whatever. What difference would it make now?

"I'm sure you had a hard time with hand-job-guy." The words spilled out of him before he could stop himself. "Real  _hard_."

"Hand-job-guy?" Rhodey questioned.

"You know," Tony made a jacking off movement with his hand. "The guy I walked in on you with."

"Ken?"  _Ah, so that was his name_. "You call him hand-job-guy."

"Well, he  _has_ been giving you hand jobs."

"He gave me one hand job, once," Rhodey corrected, getting on his feet. "He's a friend, a friend _you've met_ Tony." Was that true? Tony vaguely recalled shaking his hand at one point, but couldn't remember what they'd talked about. "We were a little drunk, and we thought it could be fun. That was it."

Tony snorted again. "Sure."

"Tony?" Rhodey grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn and face him. "What's going on?"

"You said you had to study yesterday." Tony didn't mean to sound accusing, but that's how it came out anyway. "But then I go to your room and there he is. On your bed."

"You think I cheated on you?" Rhodey sounds absolutely horrified at that. Tony reeled.  _Cheated_? Cheating only happened if you were in an actual relationship.

"No, I think you got off with another guy."

" _That's_ cheating, Tony," Rhodey responded dryly. "I would never do that to you."

Tony blinked. "You wouldn't?" he asked, genuinely baffled.

Rhodey took his face in both of his hands, meeting his eyes. "Of course I wouldn't," he said softly. And Tony didn't deserve that. He really didn't. "You're my boyfriend, I love you."

Tony gaped. "You do?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry if it's too soon in our relationship to say that, but I do."

 _Relationship_. Jesus, Rhodey thought they were in a relationship.

And now that Tony thought about it, they  _were_ in a relationship. They spent most of their free time together, went out to eat together, loved each other...

 _Love_. Rhodey  _loved_ him. And he realized with a start that Tony loved him back.

"Tony, you need to know I'd never cheat on you. You know that, don't you." Rhodey sounded so anxious, and Tony felt like a total piece of garbage. "Tell me that you do."

"Of course I do," he said, wrapping his arms around Rhodey. Rhodey melted into the hug, burying his face against Tony's shoulder.

"Good, because I would never hurt you like that."

Tony nodded. "I know." And his heart soared at that. Happiness bubbled inside of him. He'd never felt like this before. This secure, this happy, this...

"Tony, are those a pair of panties?"

_This awful._

Rhodey slipped out of his embrace and went to the corner of the room. Tony didn't have to turn around to know that Rhodey had caught sight of Jessica's panties.

"You've caught me, I like panties," he said, trying to come off as joking, but it fell flat. "They're old Rhodey, relax."

"Old?" Rhodey's voice was chilly, and Tony pulled his shoulders up to his ears. "Just like the condom in the trashcan?"

Tony wanted to punch himself in the face. He'd completely forgotten about that. He hadn't wanted to get Jessica, of all people, pregnant, so he'd managed to dig a condom out from somewhere. The latex had felt strange against his dick, after going so long without when he was with Rhodey.

Rhodey went to stand in front of him again, the panties clutched in his hand. They were pretty. Black lace. Tony could still remember pushing them side to taste Jessica underneath them.

"Tony, whose are these?" Rhodey asked through gritted teeth. His shoulders were painfully tense, and his hands were shaking.

Tony hesitated. "Rhodey, love..."

"WHOSE ARE THESE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, his face turning red with anger.

"I thought you were with hand-job- _Ken_ ," Tony tried to explain desperately. "I thought you were with someone else, you have to understand."

"So instead of asking, or thinking 'hey, Rhodey wouldn't cheat on me because he's a nice guy', or just waiting one fucking day, you went out the second after and found the first girl willing to fuck you?"

Tony couldn't really argue with that. He realized how this must look. The fact that he hadn't even waited an hour before he hooked up with someone else wasn't great. Made it seem like he didn't care about Rhodey, was desperate for an excuse to fuck someone else. But that wasn't true. He loved Rhodey.

"I didn't know that we were dating," he babbled. "I thought we were just fucking."

Rhodey dropped the panties. His face opened up, hurt and vulnerable. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I... Yes! No! I don't know!" Tony fumbled for words, but couldn't find any. How was he supposed to make Rhodey understand? "Please, just listen."

"You cheated on me."

"Yes, but you have to understand..."

But Rhodey was already leaving. He opened the door, basically sprinting out.

"I love you!" Tony shouted, but he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony dealt with this mess the same way he dealt with most things: he got shitfaced drunk.

He hadn't had a proper night out drinking in a while. Since he started the thing with Rhodey if he was being honest. So he went out and drank a bar dry. The bartender kept trying to cut him off, but a wave of folded hundreds got him to keep the vodka coming. At a few points during the day/night, people came up to him and tried to hit on him. He considered it. He was drinking to forget. Forget Rhodey, forget how the fucked up, forget how he's ruined  _everything_. And what better way was there to forget than drown himself in another person's body?

But no. That was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. If he could've just controlled himself when it came to sex, he wouldn't have gotten on his knees for his best friend and and convinced him to risk their friendship, and he wouldn't have  _cheated._

He threw back another drink, revealing at the burn. The fact that he wasn't yet too drunk to remember was probably a testament to how used he was to drinking, but he didn't care. He wanted everything gone. The look of betrayal on Rhodey's face. The taste of Jessica's body. The happiness he'd felt when Rhodey had said he  _loved_  him.

He drank and drank and drank until the bartender got him a cab back home. And once home, he drank some more.

When he woke up the next day it was already three in the afternoon, and his head was  _murdering_  him.

He staggered out of bed and grabbed his phone. It informed him that he'd called Rhodey twenty times the night before, but it didn't seem that Rhodey had picked up at any point.

It was  _pathetic_. That didn't stop him from pressing  _call_  again though.

He called Rhodey when he got out of the shower, called him again when he managed to press some bread and ham into him mouth, and then again as evening came. By the time it was late enough to Rhodey to surely be back at his room ready to sleep, he went and knocked on his door. No one opened.

He slumped against the door and pulled out the vodka bottle he'd hidden in his jacket, and started drinking again.

The next morning, he woke up in his own bed with the clothes from the night before.

He didn't stop trying to call Rhodey. In fact, he doubled his effort to get Rhodey's attention.

He waited with coffee outside of his class, only to be sturdily ignored. He went to knock on his door, only to get silence in response. He even signed up to Rhodey's stupid gym, where he kept getting glares from both Rhodey and that hand-job-Ken.

He didn't push though. Well, more than picking the workout bench next to Rhodey at the gym and making an absolute fool out of himself. He didn't try to force Rhodey into talking to him, or looking at him. He wanted Rhodey to take his time. If he just saw that Tony wasn't giving up, that he was truly sorry, then maybe he'd pick up the phone one day. Maybe he'd even forgive him eventually.

Tony knew that the chance of being forgiven was pretty damn slim. That didn't stop him from hoping.

He could admit, however, that his behavior might be a bit stalker-ish. But he didn't know what else to do. He literally had no other close friends. He didn't realize how much of his life Rhodey occupied until he was gone, leaving a giant hole behind.

Tony tried going out. He went to parties, to bars, talked to people he used to drink with. But at the first sight of Jessica he felt sick, and he went home immediately and drank himself stupid. He didn't try to go out again after that.

Instead, he immersed himself in his schoolwork. He went to the library a few times, sat down at the table he and Rhodey usually occupied. Rhodey wouldn't sit with him though, would always pick another table and keep his back to him. When Tony took his stuff to sit in front of him, Rhodey simply left. A few days later, Tony walked into the library and saw Rhodey sitting with hand-job-Ken. He didn't study at the library much after that.

His life became routine. Wake up with a hangover, call Rhodey, go to class, try (and fail) to get lunch with Rhodey, study, follow Rhodey to the gym, get a liquid dinner, study, and get drunk in order to be able to sleep.

He knew it wasn't healthy. Knew he was only making Rhodey angrier by following him around like a kicked puppy. Yet, he couldn't help himself. He needed to be near Rhodey the same way he needed to drink in order to sleep. Even if they didn't talk, even if Rhodey couldn't even look at him, he  _needed_  it.

It went on for three months. Tony's grades were actually pretty good, because he spent so much time on schoolwork, and he was feeling optimistic as christmas was coming close. He was going to get Rhodey the best present. Something no one else could get him, so that he'd know it was from Tony. So that he wouldn't be able to look at it without knowing it was from Tony. This was Tony's chance to show that he cared, that he loved him, that he paid attention to him.

Problem was, he had no idea what to give him.

He stared at his lunch as if it would somehow mysteriously tell him. When it didn't, he sighed and pulled his flask from his pocket.

"You shouldn't drink so much."

Tony's head snapped up and he stared into the warmest, brownest, most beautiful eyes. Rhodey's face was blank, but there was a slight crease between his eyebrows that revealed his concern.

Tony wetted his lips. His mouth was dry. This was the first thing Rhodey had said to him since they broke up, and it was a golden opportunity. He should take advantage of this. Should apologize, or declare his love, or say something intelligent and witty to remind Rhodey why he'd fallen in love with him in the first place.

But when he opened his mouth all he was able to say was, "Okay."

Rhodey nodded resolutely, and left his table. He went to sit next to hand-jo- _Ken_  and a bunch of others. Tony knew, after all this time stalking him, that Rhodey and Ken were just friends. In fact, if Tony hadn't had his head so far up his ass before, he would also have noticed that they were usually surrounded by a bunch of other guys, all of which Rhodey was just as friendly with as Ken. Rhodey was popular on campus, and Tony had never appreciated the fact that Rhodey had been willing to leave them all behind in order to hang out with Tony, even before they got together.

Tony tried to straight-up stop drinking after that, but it was too difficult. He had to admit, at some point, that he probably had a drinking problem, but he was unwilling to deal with it. What would his father say, if he suddenly checked himself into rehab? What would Rhodey say?

Instead of stopping abruptly, he settled on only drinking after six. It worked better that way. Cleared his head a bit more during the day, which allowed him to try to figure out this thing with Rhodey again. Apparently, Rhodey was now okay with simple sentences to pass between them, and Tony was going to take full advantage of that.

Now, when he waited outside Rhodey's class with coffee, he actually went up to him and said, "Want some?"

The first time, Rhodey hesitated, eyeing the cup warily. Tony tried to smile bravely through it, make it look like it didn't really matter either way.

At last, after a torturous wait, Rhodey took the cup. "I'll pay you back," he promised, and it felt exhilarating to hear his voice again after such a long time of silence. Much better than the alcohol.

"No need," Tony assured him. Rhodey shook his head, and left.

Going to the gym became easier too when he wasn't tipsy, and he built up his courage and went to Rhodey and asked him to explain one of the machines. Once again, Rhodey hesitated, and this time Ken was there too. Ken put his hand on Rhodey's arm and whispered something into his ear, while glaring at Tony. Tony pulled his shoulders up. Ken was twice his size and could probably beat the shit out of him, and he looked like the kind of guy who'd beat up people who hurt his friends.

Rhodey shook his head at Ken, and then nodded at Tony. "Fine."

He patiently explained the machine. Once Tony got a hang of it, Rhodey made to leave, making Tony desperate to get him to stay.

"I stopped drinking so much," he shouted at Rhodey's back. Others in the gym threw them confused glances, and Tony smiled apologetically.

Rhodey faced him again. His lips twitched, almost as if he was about to smile, and he nodded. "Good."

That single word kept Tony in a happy daze for days to come. He managed to finish all his schoolwork on time, cut back drinking to just a few glasses day, and actually called his mother and talked to her for a few minutes, all while constantly thinking about the way Rhodey had  _almost_  smiled at him.

And he finally knew what to get Rhodey.

His parents were demanding him home for christmas, but he wanted to be there when Rhodey got his present, so he had everything delivered early. Hopefully, this wouldn't work against his play to get Rhodey back,

he peered from the end of the hallway when the delivery man went and knocked on Rhodey's front door. Rhodey looked confused when he opened the envelope, and glanced down the hallway. Tony quickly turned around and walked away, hoping he hadn't been spotted. He went to his room, and fretted and waited while he stared at the clock.

Rhodey must be driving out by now. And about  _now_ he was at the airstrip, where a perfect replica of the plane his father used to pilot in the army was waiting for him. And about  _now_ Rhodey would be in the air, laughing as the hired pilot flew him in loops over the sky. And  _now_ the pilot was giving him the schematics to the plane, and the letter of ownership.

Tony rubbed his eyes. It'd been a bad gift, now that he thought about it. Dangerous, not to mention painful. Rhodey would probably be more sad than happy to be reminded of his dead father. Damn, what had he been thinking? How stu-....

There was a knock on his door and Tony jumped to his feet and sprinted to it. He threw the door open, revealing a startled Rhodey. Rhodey's cheeks were red, and he was smiling. Tony's heart sped up at the sight.

"You did this, didn't you?" Rhodey said softly and held up the papers that said that Rhodey now owned the plane. Tony swallowed and nodded. He hadn't written his name on the envelope that asked Rhodey to step outside and get in the cab, too worried that Rhodey would refuse.

Rhodey lifted his hand slowly, hovering close to Tony's shoulder, and Tony held his breath in anticipation. In the end, though, he let the bend fall to his side again.

Tony swallowed. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

Rhodey's grin widened. "It was amazing." He looked down on the papers again. "I can't accept this though." He he pushed it against Tony's chest. "It's too much."

"It's a gift," Tony protested. "A christmas gift."

Rhodey huffed out a laugh. "Christmas isn't until three weeks from now. And I didn't get you anything." The last confession stung. Tony had at least hoped Rhodey would give him  _something_ , even if it was just a mismatched pair of socks. "I couldn't even begin to be able to get you something that's a fraction of-"

"Give me a chance," Tony said in a rush. Rhodey's face immediately hardened, and Tony quickly rambled on, "I know you can't forgive me, or take me back. I _know_." And it hurt something terrible, knowing that things wouldn't go back to being the same, no matter how hard he might try or how many gifts he might buy. "But I want a chance to make it up to you. Want to be able to at least try." Rhodey's looked doubtful, but he wasn't leaving, so Tony pushed forward. "You're my best friend Rhodey. I know I messed up our romantic relationship, but I want you back as a friend. Just let me  _try_ ," he pleaded.

Rhodey pressed his hands over his eyes, taking deep breaths. When he removed his hands, his eyes were red-rimmed. "You..." He cut himself off, his voice wavering.

Tony hadn't stopped to consider that during all of this time, Rhodey might've been hurting too. He'd thought Rhodey had cut him out of his life, forgotten about him, and he'd been desperate to stay in it in any way possible. He hadn't considered that maybe Rhodey had been crying over him too.

"I've missed you," Rhodey whispered. It felt like a hidden confession, as if Rhodey was betraying himself by saying it. "You were my best friends."

"I've missed you too," Tony said. He wanted to gesture at himself, show Rhodey the hole he'd left behind.

Rhodey looked away, his eyes stuck on something just outside Tony's room. He took a few deep breaths. "I won't take you back," he said, still refusing to meet Tony's eyes. "And I can't say I'll forgive you."

"I know," Tony said, voice strangled. His eyes were burning.

Rhodey nodded at the thing he was staring at, and turned to leave. "See you at lunch tomorrow."

Tony felt his jaw drop to the ground as he stared after Rhodey's back. He fist-bumped the air, jumping around a bit, happiness bubbling in his stomach. He knew that this didn't mean things would ever go back to being the same, that Rhodey could just turn around and change his mind tomorrow, but he didn't care at the moment because he was getting another chance. Not a chance to be a good boyfriend, but a chance to be a decent friend, and he was going to take it. He was going to fucking own it.

 

*

 

Lunch wasn't the same as it'd been before, and he didn't exactly expect it to. Their conversation was stilted, Rhodey froze every time their feet touched, and his friends kept glaring at Tony over his shoulder from the next table. But Tony was nothing if not persistent. He forced them to talk, no matter how dull the subject, and when Rhodey didn't have anything to say he took over the conversation himself.

He talked about how he'd stopped drinking, how he was doing well in school, how he'd called his mother a few days ago, and Rhodey seemed genuinely happy for him. But when he mentioned that he hadn't been seeing someone since they broke up, Rhodey abruptly took his food and left. Tony was left behind feeling cold and lonely and so damn stupid. He'd ruined it all again. Rhodey'd given him another chance, and he'd blown it.

However, later that day when he went to the library, Rhodey was waiting for him, and he even moved a book away to make room to sit down. They didn't speak a word during the whole evening, Rhodey didn't even look at his face, but it was nice all the same.

Their week continued like that. Their conversations remained awkward, Rhodey kept refusing to look at him and touch him, and his friends kept glaring. Tony could handle it though. He'd handle anything, if it meant he could be close to Rhodey again.

When it was time for him to go home for the holiday, he managed to muster up the courage to ask, "Wanna go home with me?"

Rhodey seemed startled at the question, and stared at him for a long time. It was the longest Rhodey had looked at him in a while, and Tony was starting to get uncomfortable. In the end, he just shook his head, and went back to his food. Tony did his best not to feel disappointed.

He went home, and it seemed everything would be normal. His parents would have one dinner with him, and then leave, which would make him spend the whole christmas complaining about how they shouldn't force him to come home if they were going to be home. It was the same old thing they did every year.

Until his dad decided to get drunk behind the wheel and crash into a tree, making Tony an orphan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So LIFE happened and I didn't get much time for this. It ended up taking longer than I thought and I have to admit it's a little rushed. I hope you still enjoy it! I might come back to edit it since it hasn't been beta'd and I bet it's full of spelling mistakes XP I really love this pairing and hope to write more of them.
> 
> Now I must try to finish me Sam/Bucky fic, lol

Rhodey was there at the funeral. Tony wanted to feel happy about it, knowing that his friend was there for him, but he couldn't bring himself to be happy about anything. They didn't speak during the funeral, or afterwards when the maids cleaned up, or later still when Tony drank five glasses of whiskey before retiring upstairs. But Rhodey stayed at his side every second of it. Held his hand, helped clean up, poured his drinks, even had a drink himself.

When he'd lead Tony to his bedroom door, he finally spoke for the first time. "I am so sorry." It was the same thing everyone had said so far, and Tony couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. "Do you need anything? Anything at all?"

"Could need some company tonight." He knew he didn't sound very seductive, and he didn't know if he even wanted to.

Rhodey nodded, and followed him into the bedroom. They changed into sleepwear awkwardly, and then crawled into bed. They'd done this before. And he didn't mean when they fucked. Before that, even, they'd sometimes crash in bed together. It felt familiar, to have Rhodey's warm body next to him, and hear the familiar sound of his breathing.

It also reminded him of everything he'd lost. They hadn't slept in the same bed in forever, neither sexually or non-sexually. He'd missed it. Missed the feel of Rhodey's body, the safety of his arm, and yes, the breathy moans he made when Tony touched him.

Tony rolled to his side, and put his hand on Rhodey's stomach. It seemed Rhodey was just about to fall asleep, because his body startled at the touch, and he blinked at Tony with sleepy eyes. Tony slid his hand down to cup Rhodey's cock, and was annoyed to find that he wasn't hard.

"Stop that Tony," Rhodey muttered, and pushed his hand away. "You don't want that."

That angered him. What did Rhodey know about what he wanted.

"I want to get off," he growled, and pushed his groin against Rhodey's hip. He didn't try to touch him again though. He was a strong believer in consent.

"Tony," Rhodey sighed, which just angered him more. He flipped onto his back, and pushed his boxers off, in order to get a grip of his own cock. He squeezed it, trying to get it to go hard, but was unable to get a reaction. He still kept squeezing it, ignoring the dry friction. Rhodey sighed again, and rolled to his side, reaching for Tony's cock. Tony let him take a hold of him and stroke him slowly, but still nothing happened. He couldn't get fucking hard.

"Damn it!" he shouted at the ceiling, and Rhodey stopped. "Fuck!" His eyes were burning suddenly, and he realized with horror that he was about to cry. Rhodey wrapped his arms around him. "Fuck it, I'm sorry," he sobbed into Rhodey's tank top. "God fucking damn it."

His whole body shook as he cried. Rhodey held him through it, stroking his shoulders and humming quietly. Eventually the sobs stopped, and he was able to drift into some sort of sleep. When he woke up, Rhodey was gone.

Of course he was. Who'd stick around after that?

He staggered downstairs and made it the kitchen, only to smell bacon frying. Rhodey was standing by his stove, humming to some tune as he made breakfast. When he caught sight of Tony he smiled hesitantly.

"Hungry?"

Tony was too shocked to say anything. He just nodded, and collapsed onto a chair.

They ate in silence, until Tony couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry about last night. With the whole," he made a jerk-off movement with his hand.

"It's okay Tony."

"No it's not."

Rhodey hesitated. "Not really, no. But I accept your apology."

 _Great, now there's only about a hundred left for you to accept_. "Why are you here?" He knew he was being harsh, but he needed to understand. They hadn't rekindled their relationship, were barely even friends. Why was Rhodey here for him?

"Because I care about you Tony." He sounded so genuine it physically hurt Tony's heart. Rhodey was such a good guy, and Tony had ruined it so fucking badly.

 

"I care about you too, Rhodey. More than you could imagine."

Rhodey nodded carefully, and put a plate of egg and bacon in front of him. They ate in silence, and Tony liked to think it was comfortable. It wasn't until they were cleaning up that Rhodey cleared his throat and said, "Tony, I start basic next week."

Tony almost dropped the plate on his feet. The army. That didn't only mean Rhodey was leaving him, moving away, but it also brought on restrictions. _Don't Ask Don't Tell_. It shouldn't hurt as much as it did. It wasn't as if Rhodey was ever going to forgive him. Him being so willing to leave and join a career that explicitly forgave a relationship between them proved that Rhodey didn't see them together in the future.

"Can we still be friends?" He was practically begging, but he didn't care. "You know how sorry I am. Can't we try?"

Rhodey reached over the table and grabbed his hands. They were warm and big, and Tony felt infinitely better. "I want us to try and be friends again."

It shouldn't have been that easy. It wasn't that easy. But it became much easier after that.

They spent the week together at Tony's Malibu house. He had a mountain of things to take care of now that his father was dead and Stark Industries was his, and he ignored it all. Instead they went to different restaurants every meal and tried out different dishes, and went swimming and tanning on the beach, and drove around town. They talked more than they'd talked in months. Then, at night, they crawled into bed together, and Rhodey held him as he sobbed.

By the end of the week, he'd stopped crying at night, and Rhodey seemed satisfied that he was ready to be left alone.

"Promise you'll write every week," Tony demanded. "And be careful."

"Yes, _mom_." But Rhodey was smiling, and Tony was smiling. The whole world was shit right now but him and Rhodey were good, and for some reason that was all that mattered in that moment.

He wanted to keep that moment forever. They weren't quite at the point they'd been at before, but they would be soon, and he wanted to immortalize that moment as they stood at the verge of their beautiful friendship.

He stuck his hand out, and Rhodey shook it.

"Friends?"

"Always, Tony."

 

***

 

Rhodey kept true to his promise. They remained friends. For years and years. Through Afghanistan, and the suit, and even that little thing with Whiplash (although it was a bit dangerous for a second there). Their friendship lasted. It never returned to what it was, not exactly, but it did evolve. They grew up and changed, and their relationship changed with them, but what was important was that it remained.

Tony met and dated other people, and so did Rhodey, and after a while it stopped hurting. After a while, they could even call each other and talk about it. Laugh about disastrous hookups and awkward morning afters. Rhodey was even there the first time he kissed Pepper. He wasn't there though when Pepper said that they'd never kiss again, that was something Tony wanted to keep for himself for a while.

Every time they argued, or knew they wouldn't see each other for a while, or one of them was put in mortal danger, Tony asked,

"Friends?"

and Rhodey responded,

"Always."

Then the Avenger Initiative came along, and there were aliens falling from the sky, and he was holding a missile because some idiot had thought a nuclear weapon would solve everything. If he survived this, he was going to fucking kill whoever made that choice.

Chances were though, he wasn't going to survive it.

"WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO MAKE A PHONECALL, SIR?" JARVIS asked just as Tony was about to fly into a hole in the sky and most likely die.

"Rhodey," he responded without asking. The hole was nearing, and he could peek the infinity of space beyond it. It scared him shitless.

" _This is James Rhodes, leave a message._ "

Of fucking course it was. Well, here goes nothing.

"I love you," he said. "I never stopped loving you like when we were together in college. I know you don't feel the same, of course, but that's okay because being your friend has always been enough." He passed the limit, and was suddenly floating in space. He let go of the missile. As he began to fall back, he said. "Friends?" Then the world turned black.

* 

He woke up to Captain America starting down at him. Which would've been strange any other day, but this day he was just rolling with the punches. He struggled up, and suggested kebab. He was starved after all.

After arresting Loki the team trotted down to the restaurant together, and ate in silence, everyone exhausted to their bones. It was comfortable and calm, until someone burst through the door, and everyone got battle ready. Immediately, Thor picked up Mjölner, Hawkeye nocked an arrow, Captain America grabbed his shield, Black Widow pulled a knife out of nowhere, and Bruce turned slightly green, before Tony recognized the intruder and threw himself between them.

"Wait, he's a friend!" he called, and everyone relaxed.

He turned to face Rhodey. He looked like a mess, his uniform dusty and his eyes wide and desperate.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Am I okay?" he repeated angrily. "I watched you fall from the sky on national television. I have been calling you and calling you. I asked everyone if they knew where you were, including little children on the street. I've been running around looking everywhere. And you've been here the whole time?" He almost shouted at the end of that.

"I wasn't here the _whole_ time. I arrested Loki," he said defensively.

Rhodey looked ready to explode in frustration. "I thought you were dead!" he shouted.

"Is there a problem here?" Cap decided to butt in, and came to stand next to Tony, his chest puffed up.

"No, it's fine," Tony said hurriedly. "This is Colonel James Rhodes, he's my..."

"Partner," Rhodey interjected, his eyes set on Tony and only Tony.

"Oh, you have a field partner?" Cap said curiously, relaxing.

Rhodey didn't respond, didn't even look at him. Tony found himself unable to look away from Rhodey's eyes too. And they were getting closer and closer. He realized what was about to happen a split second before he felt Rhodey's lips against his.

The kiss was desperate and biting, but Tony melted into it. It felt like he'd been underwater for years and could finally breathe again. He grabbed hold of Rhodey's shoulders for support, and kissed him back as if his life depended on it. He'd missed the taste of Rhodey's lips, the feel of his tongue, so bad that it hurt. He never wanted to let go. The kiss turned into something softer and sweeter, and Rhodey wrapped his arms around him, making him feel safe and whole.

He vaguely noted Cap squeaking, "Oh, _that_ kind of partners," beside him.

They kept kissing for what felt like forever and not long enough. Eventually they had to break apart for air though, even though Tony was sure it wasn't really as necessary as people made you believe. They panted harshly at each other, neither of them willing to speak up first. Tony glanced around, and realized that the others had left, probably wanting to give them privacy.

"What the fuck was that phone call?" Rhodey said finally

Oh no. Ohhhhhh no. He hadn't actually considered what would happen if he survived and Rhodey got that message. Ohhhhhhhhhhh no.

"I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends!" Tony said desperately. Then he remembered what they'd just done, and added, "Friends who make out, apparently."

Rhodey rubbed his face and groaned loudly. "You're with Pepper."

"Am not. She didn't want to be together." It'd hurt, at the time, but he'd understood her decision. No one wants to be the person who dates the boss. Or Iron Man. "I don't cheat Rhodey. I'm not like that anymore."

"I know you're not like that Tony," he said softly, meeting his eyes again. "We've both changed since then." His eyes were searching. "Why did you say you loved me like in college?"

"Because I do still love you." He broke eye contact this time, unable to look Rhodey in the face. "I've tried to stop. I even thought I did stop. But then, as I saw the universe before my eyes, the whole damn thing, all I could think about was you."

"But you said you thought it was just sex _,_ " Rhodey said accusingly.

"That's before I realized I was in love with you. I _told_ you."

"I was so angry, I didn't hear."

Tony shrugged and closed his eyes. "What difference does it make now? I screwed everything up, our relationship ended, and I know you won't ever feel the same again."

"What makes you think that?" Rhodey sounded genuinely confused.

"I cheated."

"I forgave you a long time ago."

Tony's eyes snapped open. "You did?" Hope, dangerous hope, blossomed in his chest.

"I just didn't think..."

Tony grabbed his shoulders. "Think what?"

"That you ever loved me back."

"Of course I did! I didn't follow you around the campus like a kicked puppy because I disliked you."

Rhodey smiled weakly. "We were friends, Tony. I thought you just missed that."

"I did. We're always going to be best friends. And I was and am in love with you."

Rhodey stood still for a long time, just staring at him. After a while Tony began to worry and shook Rhodey's shoulders a bit. That made him snap into action. He grabbed Tony's collar and pulled their bodies flush together, kissing Tony hungrily. Tony opened his mouth, allowing Rhodey's tongue in. He runs his hands over Rhodey's shoulders, down his back. He wants to feel every inch of Rhodey's body, wants to make sure he's real, that he actually wants Tony. It was so close to his dreams that he wouldn't be surprised if he woke up and Rhodey was gone.

Rhodey pushed him back until his back hit the wall, sending a frame crashing to the wall. Neither of them cared. Rhodey fitted his body against Tony's, warm and perfect. Tony didn't know how he'd been able to survive without it for so long. How he'd been able to look at Rhodey without pushing close to him, feeling his warmth.

They broke for air, but Tony was unwilling to let him go far. He pressed his face against Rhodey's neck, kissing over his exposed skin, reveling at every hitch of his breath. "I love you," he mumbled against Rhodey's pulse.

"I love you too," Rhodey breathed.

He'd grown unmistakably hard against Tony's hip. Tony licked his way back to Rhodey's lips, and ground his own hard cock against him. Rhodey moaned into his lips. Tony felt his hand going down his stomach, to his hip, but grabbed it before it could reach his cock.

He leaned back, his head hitting the wall. "Wait," he panted, even though it killed him to do so.

Rhodey made a dissatisfied noise but backed off. Tony pressed their foreheads together and they just stood there for a while, catching their breaths.

"What's the matter?" Rhodey asked, his voice deep and raspy, which got Tony to dive in for another kiss. He pulled away before it could get heated again, albeit mournfully.

"Last time," he mumbled, "we started off with sex right off the bat and it ruined everything. I want to do this right this time."

"Right, how?"

"Like dating at shit."

Rhodey laughed and buried his face in Tony's neck. "Okay, fine."

Tony's heart thudded violently against his chest. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, you can take me on a date."

"Well there's perfectly good shawarma right here." They pulled apart and Tony looked around, for the first time realizing that they were all alone. Not even the shop keepers were there. "Just so you know though, I'm a lady. I don't put out on the first date."

Rhodey took their hands and tangled their fingers together. His smile was so full of love and admiration that it made Tony blush violently. He figured his smile was probably the same. "Wouldn't ever dream of asking you to."

Funnily enough, he didn't, and neither did Tony. They went on dates, actual proper dates with dinner and movies and "I'll walk you to the door". Each time was better than the next. Yet it never really happened that they had sex. The Avengers moved into the Tower and Rhodey felt awkward about having sex wall-to-wall to Captain America (while Tony would've been more than willing to fuck Rhodey for the whole world to see just to show them what a catch he'd made), which of course meant Tony had to rebuild the whole place so that they'd get more privacy, but that took time. Every time they tried getting to a hotel, there was a big supervillian crisis or something at Stark Industries. When that wasn't an issue, Rhodey had something with work. He was technically an Avenger too, but as the military liaison he was still called out by the army for short missions, leaving Tony at home alone fretting. He supposed there was a good thing having the Avengers around; they always made a point out of keeping him busy so he couldn't worry himself to madness.

Until finally, the Tower was ready, Tony and Rhodey had all the space they needed, Doom and all their other regular villains were locked away, Rhodey was on a two-week leave and Pepper had promised him she wouldn't call unless it was actual life and death. It was _on_. They were going to do this.

Tony took the advice of Steve's random running buddy and put on some Marvin Gaye, poured some expensive wine, even filled the hot tub with warm water. This was so going to happen. He'd waited since college for this.

The moment Rhodey stepped inside, his smile wide and full of anticipation, their Avengers cards ran.

Tony groaned loudly. "Let's just let the world go under. Who cares anyway?"

Rhodey laughed and pulled him into a tight hug. "We have to go."

Tony pouted, but agreed, letting Rhodey go to get to his suit.

"I guess we're just going to have to wait until marriage," Rhodey said, going for his own suit.

Tony froze. He knew it was just a joke, it was clear by Rhodey's chuckle, but it still did make him think. "We should do that."

"Wait until marriage?"

"Yeah. Only, let's not wait to get married. Let's just do it now." Tony didn't realize what he was saying until it was out. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.

Rhodey stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Right now?"

"After we save the world, of course." He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, trying to muster a brave smile.

Rhodey blinked a few times. Then he shook his head. Tony's heart broke into a million pieces. He turned away. "I want a ring." Tony's attention snapped back to Rhodey. He was smiling again, his eyes glittering. "And a real proposal."

"Like roses and chocolate?" He could do that.

"And asking my parents of permission."

"You're a grown man, Rhodey."

"I don't care, you still have to do it."

Tony pretended to sigh deeply. "Fine, but then I want a proper wedding. I'm talking the most expensive wedding of the year, maybe even the decade. I want the Plaza and a big band six bridesmaids."

"Do you even have six female friends?"

"I didn't say they'd all be female," he huffed.

"Fine."

"Fine."

They stood there for a while, smiling stupidly at each other. Then the card rang again, this time with a message.

"Where are you guys?" Captain America shouted. "We need you in the air."

"Leave them alone, they've been waiting to fuck for months now," Clint voice was barely heard over a loud explosion.

"We're on our way," Tony said.

They both quickly got into their suits, and right before they took off into the air Tony turned to Rhodey and asked, "Friends?"

"Always."

 


End file.
